Minestrone Zucchini Noodle Soup with Parmesan-Rosemary Quinn Popcorn

I love popcorn so much that I enjoy sprinkling it over a bowl of tomato soup for a crunch. It may sound a little strange, but don’t knock it ’til ya try it. Peppering your soup with a quarter cup of salty popcorn is the next big thing, just you wait.

What’s funny is that I don’t own a microwave. Just heat up a smidge of oil into a medium saucepan and then add in the kernels from inside the microwavable bag, shake it around while it pops and voila – a fresh bowl of popped popcorn… without the radiation!

So, when QuinnPopcorn sent me a few of their flavors, I was obviously excited to try them and incorporate them into one of my Inspiralized dishes.

They sent me three flavors: Parmesan & Rosemary, Lemon & Sea Salt and Vermont Maple & Sea Salt. For today, we give the first one a whirl. And what a wonderful whirl it is….

The concept behind Quinn is right up my alley (pulled directly from their bag):

We never use GMO ingredients or preservatives. The popcorn is organic. The expeller pressed oils are high in omega-3′s. Our ingredients all come together in 3 sweet, salty, unique, and delicious flavors.

This version of Minestrone soup is mouth watering. It’s full of fresh herbs, fragrant veggies, healthy proteins and of course, zucchini noodles! Minestrone soup is an Italian favorite of mine and the Parmesan and rosemary flavors bring out the flavors in the soup.

Here’s my guide to making microwavable popcorn without a microwave, using Quinn’s popcorn:

First, heat up half the oil from the pouch, in a medium saucepan.

Add in one kernel and wait until it pops. Once it pops, add in the rest of the kernels, place a lid on the saucepan and shake it over the heat until all kernels are popped.

Remove from heat, place in a large bowl, add in the rest of the oil and the seasoning pack. Shake the bowl to mix and coat the popcorn.

Give the whole popcorn-and-soup thing a try and let me know what you think! It’s a low-cal, low-carb, low-fat way of getting some heartiness and extra textures into your meals.

Happy popping!

Minestrone Zucchini Noodle Soup with Parmesan-Rosemary Quinn Popcorn

Yields 2

20 minPrep Time

25 minCook Time

45 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small pinch of red pepper flakes

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced red onion

1/2 cup diced celery

1 (14oz) can diced tomatoes

salt and pepper, to taste

1/4 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

4 sprigs of fresh thyme

1/4 tsp dried basil

3 cups vegetable broth, low-sodium

1 large zucchini, Blade C

1/2 cup red kidney beans

1/2 cup cannellini beans

1/4 cup popped Parmesan-Rosemary Quinn Popcorn

Instructions

Place a large saucepan over medium heat and add in the olive oil. Once the oil heats, add in the garlic and red pepper flakes. Cook for 30 seconds and then add in the onion, carrots, and celery.

Cook the veggies for about 5 minutes or until they begin to soften.

Add in the diced tomatoes, crush lightly with the back of a fork, and season with salt, pepper, oregano, rosemary, thyme and basil. Stir to combine and add in the vegetable broth.

Bring the soup to a boil and then lower to simmer. Cover the saucepan and cook for 15 minutes.

Uncover the saucepan and add in the beans and zucchini noodles. Cook for about 3 minutes or until zucchini noodles soften.

This soup looks fabulous until you get to the pop corn. My Italian Mother would rise up out of her grave and slap me across my head for just thinking about it. Sorry Ali ~ No Way No How !
Looking forward to making this soup WITHOUT the pop corn. I’ll keep the pop corn for my snack.